I’ve been stalled on it for quite a while. I was working on the border – theoretically, the last portion of the shawl. I found yet another error. As I approached the center point stitch, the repeats in the border didn’t leave me the number of stitches to the center that they should have.

The shawl has been sitting in time-out ever since. I later discovered that Cherry Tree Hill has posted corrections for it, and boy, are they extensive.

I’ve been stewing about this in the back of my brain ever since. And yesterday, I came to a decision. I was unhappy with the process I’d gone through to knit the shawl – with all the errors, it was not enjoyable. I was annoyed to find that there were still more errors than I had found, even, which made the entire shawl as I had knit it questionable.

Simply put, I didn’t like it anymore.

So I came to the only conclusion I could.

I may yet knit the Carnival Glass Shawl someday. Or I may not. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive the pattern at this point.

But the yarn is fully reclaimed, and I’ll spend a little time looking for a pattern that is better written and will be a joy to knit.

Sometimes, the wisest course in knitting is to completely un-knit. I know I feel better for it.

Meanwhile, the Rattie Sisters are feeling better, too. They normally have free run of the armchair I sit in – and by extension, free run of me – when I’m in the room. They have come to treat the armchair, and a little ottoman that sits next to it, as an extension of their own cage.

So much so, that they’ll stop for a mutual grooming session right in the chair, tucked in among the pillows by my left hip.

Sable has pinned Star down, and is giving her a good all-over washing. Star is thoroughly enjoying the attention.

As for me, I think I’m feeling the effects of even my slight exposure to the weather and allergens yesterday. Achy all over, headache too.

I’ll be fine, though, so don’t worry. Just need a little rest to get over it. I’ll be staying home tonight instead of going to Panera, I’m afraid!

Yesterday was a hex sewing day, but if you go back to the last picture, and imagine that both the first two rows of hexes are completed, you’ll be all caught up.

I’m still feeling a little rundown from the antibiotic. I should probably clear something up – the antibiotic is for a low-grade sinus infection that I didn’t even know I had. If there were any symptoms, they were completely masked by my usual allergies. The doctor identified the infection because I mentioned that I’d had some soreness in one nostril that caused me to stop taking my Flonase for a month to let it heal. So she took a peek up there, and said, “Aha! You’ve got an infection that’s keeping it from healing up.”

Otherwise, we’re having another oppressively hot day here. Not only that, the air pollution index says Unhealthy, and it’s an “Ozone Action Day” – whatever that means. Ideally, all these things mean I shouldn’t even go out, but I’m feeling such cabin fever, and we needed groceries. I talked Gryphon into taking me along to the store.

He set some rules – he’d pre-cool the car, drop me at the door while he parked, and so on. And so, we got me out of the house with minimal impact.

Not much else to report. The Ratties continue to do well, and in fact their activity level is up. It’s good to see them moving around so happily again.

Since it’s a generally slow day, I thought just for fun I’d actually do a meme. Mind you, this doesn’t mean you should all start tagging me! But I sat here and remembered the “…needs” meme, and thought I’d give it a try.

The concept is simple. Take your first name, go to Google, and type in a search for “first name needs”

And so I learned that Jenny Needs…

…a job so she can buy one of these.…to find herself a baller.…a home or a foster home.…to see herself as a good reader.…her footslave after a long day.…some sleep.…space!…a place to vent and bitch and vent and bitch.…a good home or else the dump.…to cuss more in her album.…to shut up. Now.

I did fail to mention one issue with my doctor’s visit yesterday, but it’s only a minor one. I’ve got a low-level sinus infection, for which I’ve been given an antibiotic. Which is making me pee like crazy. Don’t worry, I’m snarfing down the liquids at a good clip! But in the meantime, I was up several times in the night to hit the bathroom, and seem to be going about every half hour today.

Other than that, I’m doing fine. Except, can someone please turn down the thermostat on the weather? I haven’t dared stick my nose outside yet, the reports from friends that I talked to this morning have scared me off it. We’re apparently expecting a high around 100.

I melt at 71, maybe 75 if there’s a breeze. With my intolerance for heat, and my asthma and allergies, I’m best off staying indoors and keeping cool. And I’m recommending my friends do the same, which is why tonight’s craft circle is cancelled. Hope for better weather next Tuesday!

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten more knitting done on Rat Rugs 2.0. Here’s a look at the two most recent FOs, and the one currently on the needles.

I’m really liking how these colors are working out. Those wild, psychedelic colorways are coming from using small balls – about 15 grams each – of Sugar ‘n Cream. Each ball is about 1/5th of the yarn needed for a complete Rat Rug, which ensures that I’ll see frequent color changes.

Yes, I actually weighed a finished rug (about 64 grams), divided by 5 (12.4 gms), rounded up to 15 gms for a nice target number. Then I used the yarn winder to make a mini ball, weighing it to see if it was big enough. I even counted how many turns of the yarn winder crank it takes to make an approximately 15 gram ball of Sugar ‘n Cream. It’s 32.

Simply put, I’m knitting 40 stitches in garter stitch. Two rows of Solid color, two of Variegated. Whenever a yarn is about to run out, I take another mini-ball of the same type – solid or variegated – and use Russian Join to attach it. My only rule for the color choice is it can’t be the same color I’m just finishing. Then I just keep knitting until the rug is long enough.

This is what the rugs look like in place, on the second shelf of the rat cage:

I deliberately made them just a skootch long and wide, because I know they will shrink some in the wash.

The Rattie Sisters are used to having cotton rugs – they’ve been living with a different pattern on their top shelf for their entire life. They seem to like the soft surface, and quite frequently will take a nap directly on the rug, without fussing about nesting inside something.

Knitting cotton is hard on the hands – today, I’ll be switching back to the quilting again. Expect to see more progress on the Hexagon QIP tomorrow!

The Rattie Sisters got their first dusting with Carbaryl powder this weekend, and have survived the experience. Though they did hide under some sheets for comfort for a while after. I think they were making a point about the dignity of furry critters.

Even more interesting was that we wound up trimming Star’s teeth on Sunday. Saturday night, I happened to look at her just as she opened her mouth, and realized that one upper was longer than the other, and the lowers were starting to splay. I did some research on the web and found good resources for how to trim them ourselves. (http://www.ratballs.com/RatTails/Tails080.html is the one best how-to that I found, in the event you ever need to know about trimming rat’s teeth.)

Star was none to happy to be wrapped in a cloth and handled in the way necessary to get the job done, but it went quickly, and she calmed down immediately after. The honey-yogurt drop she got as a reward may have helped. And you have to believe that, as smart as they are, she would have felt the difference in how her teeth aligned and realized that her mouth was better after than before.

In other medical news, I had my own routine check-up today, and the doctor seems to think things are going well. Of course, I still need to continue working on getting exercise, and eating the right things. But while there’s room for improvement, things aren’t looking bad. Yay!

As for crafting this weekend, there was a fair bit of knitting on Rat Rugs 2.0 (Garter Stitch), but since all we’re talking about is more multi-colored garter stitch than I had last time, I didn’t think it was worth showing a picture yet.

What is worth a picture is the progress on my first Quilt Patis quilt. This is destined to be a table mat that will be 16 hexes high, and 25 hexes wide, with each hexagon being 1/2″ on an edge.

I’ve been picking away at this both at home, and all night Thursday at Panera. My progress thus far is a little over halfway into the second vertical column. (What you’re seeing is a vertical strip of the tablemat, 16 hexes high.)

The little divided plate I’m working on is a TV tray from Target – 99 cents over in the seasonal housewares area. It’s perfect for coralling the project when I’m at home.

When I travel with it, I put everything into this pencil case – oddly, also a Target purchase from a couple of years ago. It holds my pins, thread, scissors, the QIP, and even a small stack of fabric strips wide enough to cut my hexagons from.

I’m really pleased with how this is working out so far. I’m not arranging the fabrics in any special pattern – yet. I have decided that I’m starting to tire of trying to be “random” with them, though, and I’m changing the plan to two columns of random hexes on either end, with a simple geometric plan in between. Probably just diagonal stripes or something equally easy to work without a chart.

When I can, I’m making the effort to fussy-cut the fabrics. This little white flower on the pink fabric below is the only example so far.

I like the effect, but won’t use it everywhere – just now and then, for a little visual surprise as you look at the quilt.

That’s how things are in my neck of the woods – still a little overloaded with stuff to take care of, but starting to feel like we’ve got a handle on it. I hope you’re having a good start to the week as well!

Leesa gently reminded me in a comment that not everyone may know what a mala is. Thank you, Leesa – I really should have explained!

A mala is a type of prayer beads, specifically as used in Buddhism. Those from a Christian or Catholic background will be more familiar with rosary beads. The principle is the same – the beads help you to count as you pray. The supplicant is freed from having to think about the numbers by using their fingers to advance through the beads, and can instead focus on the meaning and purpose of their prayer.

So why would Folkcat be in need of a mala?

I am not what most people would consider a conventionally religious person. I do not often pray in groups. I do not attend a church or temple. If pressed, I usually label my “religion” as “homebrew”. By which I mean that I take what spiritual ideas, ideals, and practices make sense to me, and apply them in a way that feels right for my life.

Probably more of those elements in my homebrew religion come from Buddhism or Paganism than anywhere else. I have not extensively studied either, though I have many friends who practice some form of one or the other – or both.

Buddhism has an enduring attraction to me, though I doubt I could ever adopt the most stringent forms of it. (A truly vegetarian existence, for instance, would be very difficult for me.) I think my connection to Buddhism really began back in 1999, when I was laying in bed, in pain, after an accident which totalled our car, and cracked my hip socket.

There were times when the pain was so bad that even the meds didn’t touch it. I needed a way to somehow just coast through it. A little while before the accident, I had read in a magazine for retailers in the new age field a mantra known as the Heart Sutra.

I found myself at the bad moments laying there in the bed, reciting the Heart Sutra over and over…

gate, gate, para gate, parasam gate, bodhi svaha.

(The word “gate” is pronounced as “gah-tay”.)

Over and over, again and again. And I made it through.

One translation I’ve found may give you a sense of how appropriate it was for the circumstances:

So when the beads called to me yesterday, demanding to be made into a mala, it seemed quite reasonable, even though I haven’t made a practice of chanting a mantra on any regular basis. It feels right to wear them, and I may begin to think, now and then, of taking a moment and actually chanting my favored mantra again.

This would be a good thing. The last few weeks have felt like the world is changing on me and Gryphon with the speed of chaos. Perhaps my spiritual guides decided it was time I have a calming focus at hand.

I’m inclined to think they’re onto something here.

Addendum about the stones in my mala:

With the help of my Google-fu, I have remembered what the yellowish dogbone beads are – aragonite. Among the many metaphysical properties of aragonite is an ability to increase the power of prayers. How appropriate! Combined with the black tourmaline, which dispels negative energy, I seem to have made a particularly powerful mala, well suited for my needs at this time.

First and foremost, the important news. The Rattie Sisters have been seen by the new vet, and all will be well!

It turns out that about the only thing the previous vet did correctly was diagnose the lice. The treatment given – an injection of ivermectin – was absolutely the wrong choice. The new vet explained that in just about every other type of small animal, ivermectin is effective in treating both lice and mites, but not in rats. In rats, it may provide temporary relief, but it never knocks out the infestation completely.

Well! I’m a bit incensed at the prior vet’s office, which shall remain unnamed, and glad that we trusted our instincts and came to this new place. Dr. Kalb at Milford Veterinary Hospital, btw, for those in the area who might want to know. In contrast with the other vet, Dr. Kalb interacted very personably with both Star and Sable, and clearly knew what she was talking about when she explained how we should treat the lice.

She also examined the bulge in Star’s abdomen. Basically, we’ve got an early stage tumor, but it doesn’t seem to be growing much or affecting her otherwise. At this time, the only thing to do is watch it for change.

As to the lice, we’ll be picking up some Carbaryl Powder – a common pesticide that’s very effective against lice – and dusting them with it weekly for a month or so. Also, cleaning the cage thoroughly twice a week. And I don’t mean just “cleaning,” but really washing it down with a weak chlorox solution and rinsing with hot water several times. That we get to do for a month.

So, the Rattie Sisters will be okay! Thanks to everyone for your good wishes and your excellent advice through this ordeal, it’s made a world of difference.

Back to Beading

I really haven’t been beading at all – I seem to be off it for a while. Last night, though, I got together with some friends who expressed a desire to make prayer beads.

I wasn’t so much interested in making any myself, but having once owned a bead store, I have a few beads around the house. So I gathered together some strings to share, and a few tools to help the process.

As I was doing that, I came across these strands of black tourmaline beads, and the yellowish colored dogbone-shaped beads. (Can’t remember what stone the dogbones are, more’s the pity!) And suddenly, I had one of those little voices inside my head telling me I had to make my own mala from them.

You know how those little voices are, don’t you? Anything that suggests itself to me that definitively, I know I’d better listen to. So I grabbed the strands of tourmaline and the dogbones, and brought them along.

This is the result:

The beads are strung on 5 strands of Gudebrod size D black silk. There are 54 black tourmaline beads in the main necklace, with the dogbones as spacers in between. At the bottom, all strands come out through another black tourmaline bead, then a blue cat’s eye bumpy cylinder, and terminate with a good knot and a tassel below a carved carnelian goldfish.

I love how this came out, and I’m still wearing it today. Eventually, I’m sure the mystery of why I so desperately needed to make a mala right now will reveal itself to me. I’m okay with it taking its own time to do so.

More great advice for the Rattie Sisters in the comments. Christine, who has had a number of rats of her own, suggested a new trick for getting them to take the antibiotic – soak it into a little square of whole grain bread, then add honey. If we’re prescribed more antibiotic at the new vet tomorrow, I’ll be giving that a try. Thanks, Christine!

I suspect that Star won’t have a problem taking it if she needs it. At least once, after we went through the minor torture session that was squirting the liquid into Sable’s mouth, Star expressed great interest in licking Sable’s chin, like it was coated with the most lucious rat candy imaginable.

More on all that after the vet visit tomorrow, though!

Meanwhile, I mentioned yesterday that I’d be posting about a new quilting tool I’d ordered – assuming the Postal Service tracking was correct and it arrived. It did!

Of quilt types, I have been most seriously interested in making hexagon quilts like Grandmother’s Flower Garden. These are usually hand pieced, with pieces of paper used to form each unit of the quilt. You can buy pre-cut papers, but the fuss involved in the basting, removing the papers, taking out the basting stitches, put me off the idea.

Then at the end of March, I caught the last on-air episode of Simply Quilts on HGTV. (The show has since gone to a web-based format). It was a repeat from several years ago, and featured Pati Shambaugh and her innovation that makes hexagon piecing easy. She die-cuts flexible plastic pieces to use as the form, which simply pop out afterwards and can be re-used!

(I’ll give links to all the pertinent sites about the Quilt Patis at the end of this post, I promise!)

I was sold on the idea right away. And so, apparently, were hundreds of others. Every source I found online for Quilt Patis was already sold out. I located Pati’s home website, and found that she was severely backordered, and cranking out packages of Quilt Patis as fast as she could.

Meanwhile, I could only sit, and wait, and save up my pennies so I could purchase some. At last, everything came together, and I was able to place my order last week from Mama Sylvia’s Fat Quarters. Mama Sylvia seems to be one of the strongest promoters of Quilt Patis out there – she even started a Yahoo group after the episode aired, such was the increase in demand.

Of course, I joined the Yahoo group immediately. It’s worth it if you’re a fan of these gadgets – Mama Sylvia and Pati herself are both moderators, and so information is available straight from the source.

I won’t get into exactly how it happened, because the circumstances that brought it about were somewhat chaotic. I ordered Quilt Patis Friday, and joined the Yahoo group. I posted my first message to the group on Monday. My Quilt Patis were put in my hand via Postal Service delivery (and my husband picking up the mail) about 1:40 p.m. yesterday afternoon. During the day Tuesday, I had a couple of interesting exchanges with Mama Sylvia about the group and messages.

At 2:55 p.m., I had the e-mail from Yahoo telling me I’d been made one of the moderators of the group.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I tend to jump into the deep end when I get excited about something. Still, it happened so fast that my head is still spinning a little today.

Of course, what good is having Quilt Patis if you don’t actually start piecing something with them? I purchased two sizes – 1″ hexagons to use for a bed-size quilt, and 1/2″ hexagons to make table mats and miniature quilts.

Last night, I started working on a table mat with the 1/2″ hexagons and some jewel-toned fabrics from my stash. I’m doing a random arrangement of the hexes here, no specific pattern. The goal at this time is just to get the basic technique down.

I suppose I should have included something to show the scale. Each edge of those little hexagons measures 1/2 inch, and the hexes themselves are about the size of a quarter.

I won’t go into all the details of the how-to – other sources have done that quite well already, and Pati includes excellent instructions in the package. I did find the process quick, easy, and fun to do.

I think my favorite type of beadwork says a lot about why I like this. I’ve always been most fond of the seed bead techniques that have you stitching one tiny little bead at a time, attaching it to all the other tiny little beads to make an all-over pattern. Like peyote or brick stitch.

Hexagon quilts are the fabric equivalent. Any wonder I like this?

Here’s a closer look at the hexes, including a good view of the back of one:

You can see the basting stitches on the back of the pink hexagon there, holding the fabric in place around the plastic form. The plastic will come out after the hexagon has been stitched to every other hexagon it will ever be stitched to, and it will be re-used for another hexagon. The basting stitches will stay in place – because of the plastic, that stitching never comes through to the front side. So there is no need to spend time just picking out the basting – it can stay right where it is!

The hexes are attached to each other with simple whipstitch. The plastic holds them firm and stiff so they can be easily held together and sewn.

It’s that simple.

I’m looking forward to exploring this process. I have plans to make at least one queen-size and one full-size bed quilt with hexagons – not these tiny little 1/2″ ones! That’s what I got the 1″ hexes for. The technique lends itself to using tiny pieces of fabric, so there’s very little waste, and it’s a great way to recycle clothing that has worn beyond usefulness.

I will, of course, keep you all posted about Hexagon Progress as I go!

If you’re interested into looking into this more, here are some useful links:

The Yahoo Group:Quilt Patis Fans: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quilt_Pati_Fans/The one place where you know you’ll find the best information about Quilt Patis and how to use them. Pati Shambaugh herself is a moderator, along with Mama Sylvia.

Quilt Patis at Simply Quilts (HGTV):Simply Quilts’ Instructions: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_quilting_blocks/article/0,1789,HGTV_3299_1374019,00.htmlSimply Quilts has gone to web-only airings of the program, and you can’t select shows from the archives to view. Sadly, the video for Pati’s Grandmother’s Flower Garden episode isn’t available at this time. The basic text how-to is here, but not any pictures that help make the instructions clear. Still, I considered this worth inclusion because it was, after all, Simply Quilts that introduced me to Quilt Patis to begin with.

This weekend was Re-Think and Re-Organize time again when it comes to my crafting. Both Gryphon and I have had lots of ideas recently for “things I could be making for the house,” but they’ve all just been floating around in my head making me crazy. You know how it is – I’ve actually been excited about all the projects, and want to see each and every one of them finished now. But how do I choose where to begin?

So we sat down together, made a list on actual paper so we could look at it, and chose a priority. Which is why I’m once again knitting Rat Rugs!

Q. Didn’t you knit a bunch of Rat Rugs before?

A. Yes, but they fit what we refer to as the Top Shelf of the cage. The cage is three levels – the Floor, the Top Shelf, and then a shelf in the middle we usually call the Second Shelf. The two shelves are the same width – the full width of the cage – but the Second Shelf is narrower than the Top Shelf.

Q. These don’t look like the Rat Rugs you made last time!

A. They aren’t the same pattern. Because the dimensions of the two shelves are different – but not by much – I wanted a visible difference in the rugs for each shelf. The Top Shelf rugs were knitted with the waffle/brick pattern found on ball bands for Peaches & Creme yarn (and in the Mason-Dixon Knitting book). Second Shelf rugs are being created in straight garter stitch.

Q. What’s that yarn? It makes a crazy pattern!

A. Simple Sugar ‘n Cream cotton yarn. The pattern comes from alternating solid colors and variegated colors. Knit 2 rows of solid, knit 2 rows of variegated. Whenever a color runs out, I grab another solid if it’s a solid, or a variegated if it’s a variegated. Russian Join to add in the new yarn, and just keep knitting.

Quilting Updates

I’m expecting a new set of quilting tools to arrive in the mail today. At least, according to the tracking information I looked at this morning. They’ll give me some exciting new options for hand pieced designs with hexagons. More on that tomorrow, I think – if they’re actually in today’s mail, I’ll certainly have a QIP to show by then!

Rattie Updates

Not much to report here, as they don’t see the new vet until Thursday morning. But Sable’s back does seem to be a little less scabby, suggesting that she’s not scratching at it quite as badly. The first ivermectin shot she got at the old vet last week may be doing its job.

Okay, maybe not. But we did have a few good entries from several of you, and both Gryphon and I had a good laugh every time another comment came in.

In the end, there were three jokes to choose from, which means no random drawing – only one prize will go out to my favorite. It wasn’t easy to pick – all your jokes were funny. But in the end, one did stand out as inducing the most spastic giggling.

It may not come across quite as well merely reading it. Do me a favor, make sure to tell it to someone, then you can get the true feeling of the silliness it brings. It was when I told it to Gryphon that it really came alive for me.

Sarah, I’m e-mailing you a few questions so I can pick out your prize – watch your inbox!

The other two entries were fun as well. You can read them in the comments here. Both Carol and Claudia made me laugh with their jokes.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, or even just commented. You helped to lighten our worries over the weekend.

Claudia gets an honorable mention for something outside of her contest entry – she sent an extra list of jokes that a friend had just e-mailed to her. They had Gryphon and I curling up in our chairs, laughing hysterically. So I feel like I have to share them with you, they’re just that good! Or that bad, depending on how you like your humor. 🙂

1. How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?Unique Up On It.

2. How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?Tame Way.

3. How Do Crazy People Go Through The Forest?They Take The Psycho Path

4. How Do You Get Holy Water?You Boil the Hell Out Of It

6. What Do Eskimos Get From sitting on the Ice too Long?Polaroid’s

7. What Do You Call a Boomerang That doesn’t work?A Stick

8. What Do You Call Cheese That Isn’t Yours?Nacho Cheese.

9. What Do You Call Santa’s Helpers?Subordinate Clauses.

10. What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?Quattro Sinko.

11. What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?Spoiled Milk.

12. What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?Frostbite.

13. What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?A Nervous Wreck.

14. What’s The Difference Between Roast Beef And Pea Soup?Anyone Can Roast Beef.

15. Where Do You Find a Dog With No Legs?Right Where You Left Him.

16. Why Do Gorillas Have Big Nostrils?Because They Have Big Fingers .

17. Why Don’t Blind People Like To Sky Dive?Because It Scares The Dog.

18. What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?Sanka.

19. What Is The Difference Between a Harley And a Hoover?!The Location Of The Dirt Bag.

20. Why Did Pilgrims’ Pants Always Fall Down?Because They Wore Their Belt Buckle On Their Hat.